The Coast Guard has recovered the wreckage of an Air Station Sitka helicopter that crashed last month near Petersburg, but it could take up to eight months to learn what happened.
In a news release, the Coast Guard reports that the aircraft was removed from the shore of Read Island last week. Now, the MH-60 Jayhawk is on its way to North Carolina for an inspection as part of a larger investigation into what caused the crash.
On Nov. 13, the Air Station Sitka crew was responding to a Mayday call from a fishing boat that was taking on water in Farragut Bay, about 20 miles northwest of Petersburg. The skipper of the boat had brought the flooding under control by the time the helicopter arrived. However, something went wrong and the helicopter crashed on nearby Read Island.
The two men on the boat came to the aid of the helicopter crew, and supported them through the night with communications and supplies while awaiting emergency responders from Petersburg and a second helicopter from Air Station Sitka. All four crewmembers were medevaced to Seattle, two of them with serious injuries. The Coast Guard now says that all four crew members have returned home from the hospital and are recovering.
Weather conditions were poor during the mission, with wind speeds up to 40 mph in the area and low visibility.
The Coast Guard established a security zone around the crash site and began an investigation. On Dec. 8, with the help of the U.S. Army’s Downed Aircraft Recovery team, the Forest Service, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation, and Petersburg Fire and Rescue, among others, they were able to retrieve the helicopter.
In an email to KCAW, Coast Guard spokesman Cmdr. Mike Salerno said the helicopter is being transported to Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where investigators will further examine the airframe.
Salerno told KCAW that aviation experts from across the service have been investigating the crash– from collecting and examining the wreckage to interviewing all parties involved with the accident and reviewing environmental factors. Salerno said the investigation can take up to eight months.
